Mrs Sharma’s daughter – 2 (short story)

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Its been a few days
since I have written to you. I am sorry about being irregular. I promise to
keep writing every day from tomorrow. You must be wondering how I have been
doing? Don’t worry, I am here to tell you everything.

I had an amazing 10th
birthday party this weekend. All my friends came to our home for the party. I
showed my room and my wall of drawings to all my friends. Everyone loved the
ceiling of my room where I have stuck little star stickers. I can’t even count
the number of gifts I got. You wouldn’t even believe me, if I told you. It was
a wonderful day. I think Nikita was a
little jealous of my room. Maybe she doesn’t have a lovely bed and a fluffy
mattress in her house, like I do. Anyway, too bad for her. I love my home. I
also love my parents. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

Mummy and Papa also
love me very much.Every night before
Papa comes home from work, Mummy and I sit at the window and listen to old
Hindi songs on the radio.It is my
favorite thing to do all day. I also know the voice of the anchor of the radio program
and can say it just like she does – “Mohammed Rafi se Lata Mangeshkar ki aawaaz
ko lekar aayi hoon main RJ Neha!”. Maybe I will also grow up to be an RJ or maybe
I will do what Papa does.I don’t get
to see him much because it is usually bed time for me right after he gets home.
But I know he does something amazing. He comes home at 8pm every day and sits
down on the sofa by the window. He then says, in his warm deep voice. “Where’s
the chai Mrs. Sharma!” Hehe. I like imitating the way he says it.

What else happened,
that I haven’t told you? Oh yeah, I overheard Papa and Mummy talking about
moving houses. I don’t know what that means.Were they talking about moving to a different city? But, I love my
beautiful room and our lovely house and all my friends, even Nikita. I will be
really sad if they decide to move. I don’t know how I will say Goodbye. Uhhhh.
Even thinking about it is scary. Please God. Tell my parents that they don’t
need to move. That this place is perfect.

I am going to go sit
at the window with mummy now. The radio program is almost about to start.Don’t worry dear diary. I will tell you
everything that happens. I am sure nothing bad will happen. I have my lovely
home and family forever.”

***

It was like any other day in St. Catherine’s Home for the
Orphans. It was 7pm and Matron fumed into the girl’s dormitory. “Everyone into
the dining halls, right now! Everyone means everyone. Whoever goes late will
not get dinner tonight. Nikita get up! Where is your friend Neha? Why is her
bed empty? Oh! look at all this mess. She has been drawing on the bunk beds
again. I should not let you girls bring chalk into the dormitory. Now I will
have to clean all these scribbles. Where is she anyway?

Oh! Of course, there she is, sitting by the window! This
girl is always distracted. Neha! Stop singing out of the window and get to the
dining hall.” Neha quickly jumps out of the window and runs to her bed. She
grabs her diary, stuffing it in her front pocket and runs to join the girls
lining up for the dining halls.

Matron closes the big windows of the dormitory hall. She
hears the radio playing downstairs. And then she hears the loud voices of
people quarreling, drowning out the sound of the music. “Where is my damn Chai!
Mrs. Sharma!”

“Oh! It’s the Sharma family downstairs.” – Matron exclaims.
“Always fighting, those two. Thank the lord they are moving out next month. It
can’t be healthy for the girls to always be overhearing adults fighting. Especially
Neha. No wonder she always seems distracted. I think she will be happy to hear
they are moving out. I will tell her first thing tomorrow morning. “